Boxing Day 2017 Report and Tips

This year is the first time I actually spent the time at the shopping centre hunting down some great bargains. In the previous years I'd rather stay at home and do it online. Less hassle, no queuing, no sore feet, only sore index finger from all the clicking! Well, I still did some online boxing day sales which started on Christmas eve, but they were mostly for bulky items and items that I don't want to get disappointed when coming in store only to find the items are not available anymore. Save more hassle!

This year I decided that I was either going to the city, Parramatta Westfield, or DFO Homebush. But since I'm not in the market for new bags or particularly after clothes, I skipped DFO. The thought of going to the city had me cringing right at the start. But since this is my first Boxing Day sale, I think I would keep it light, so I decided to go to Parramatta instead. Plus, it's way closer from home.

In the morning I checked online what time the shopping centre would open since I wasn't sure whether it would be at 8, 9, or 10 AM. To my surprise, it was 7 AM! Much earlier than I had expected! But I wasn't sure whether this was only the Westfield that's open (and the stores would open at a normal time) and people would be queuing; or the stores would be open at the same time. Either way, I was willing to take the risk and so I checked for the earliest bus which depart from my home. It was 7.15 AM - nothing earlier (well, I missed the earliest one which is at 6.15 AM and that's TOO early). 

I arrived at Parramatta Westfield around 7.30 AM and nervously entered the shopping centre. Well I came in, the Dymocks store had just opened - door open and lights lit. I thought, "I think they may be open this early for real!" I walked further down the lane and found the Starbucks, GAP, Myer store open already! It is for REAL! So then I got really excited and started to work down my must-visit store list. I didn't have a "things-to-get" list, just a "which-store-to-visit" list and improvise on the items. Hahaha, it is a recipe for disaster for my wallet. Anyway, I had to be mindful because I have a limited budget this year. It was actually really nice being able to stroll around the shopping mall with not many people around. I was able to go in and out of store easily (especially if I have to re-enter) and shop peacefully without having to rush because of the fierce competition. 

Anyway, here's some of the tips I can give based on my experience for those who would like to brave the Boxing Day sale crowd next year:

Do it online if you want to beat the crowd

Like I have mentioned, shopping online is less hassle, no queuing, no sore feet. If you're after particular items which you think you may miss out if you wait on going in store, then I'd recommend to  do your shopping online; usually clothes, electronics on clearance, novelty items (e.g. Pandora charms or T2 tea wares and gift boxes). But remember that you may need to pay for shipping if a Click and Collect option is not available. So, it's best if you can reach the minimum purchase to take advantage of the free shipping. One trick that I realised too late was to check the shop's return policy if they allow free returns on sale items. This way, you can purchase exceeding the free shipping limit and then return the items that you don't want.

Come super early if you plan to go in store

I guess I was really lucky that I had checked the shopping centre opening hours before I went because doing it was one of the best decision I made that day (yes, I am lebay). Come early, beat the crowd and queues. The stores were pretty much almost empty, public transport is also empty, parking space is most definitely still available. 

Have a list ready and prioritise

Whatever that list is, whether it's a must-visit store or must-buy items. It will make your trip easier and manageable. Prioritise your trip based on which stores that you're really after first because the longer you're in the shopping mall, the more people will come, the less chance you can get the stuff that you want so you need to move quickly. Knowing the shopping centre layout is also helpful, this will help you save time moving from one store to another and do some favour for your feet!

Bring a grocery shopping trolley or backpack if you plan to spend like crazy

Yesterday, I was only carrying bags from 4 stores but my arms were already aching. Well, what do you expect if your shopping includes two Bath and Body Works candles and a trench coat from Zara. Anyway, they were heavy and I wished I had brought the grocery shopping trolley. It doesn't look cool, I know. But who gives a damn on how you look when shopping on Boxing Day. I didn't even take shower before going and just put on anything as long as I'm wearing clothes and head covering.

Know your size before you come in (when buying clothes or shoes)
This is important as the fitting room will have very long queues! Trust me, you do not want to spend your precious time queuing just to try clothes you may not want eventually. So, before you come into the store on Boxing day, spend some time in store just to browse around, look for the clothing that you may like, and have a try. Know your universal size for most garments in that store. For example, I know that M is the size I fit the most in Zara. Depending on the cuts, if it is a baggy cut, I may go for the S size. With that knowledge in hand, on the day, you can just grab the clothing that you like and head straight for the cashier.

The queue started to build up around 10am

Still looked empty, but this is actually also when I was about to leave

The Swarovski store starting to get full

Oroton on SALE!

Mimco on SALE!

The shopping centre started to get full when I was about to leave, which was about 10am

Damage done on Boxing Day. These are the only ones that you get to see, LOL.

How I Used To Write Random Stuff

Photo by STIL on Unsplash

This is my first post after a very long hiatus from blogging. Kids are hard work and they just won't let you go to have your own quiet time. Well, I've only got one kid now but, believe me, he sticks like a stamp on an envelope. The (not-so) good news is that I've been told by fellow mummy friends that this is going to continue at least until he's 5. Yes, 5 years old. That means I still have another 4 years and 8 months to cope to this madness. And by that time, we're expecting another little brat angel will come inshaa Allah.

I have not achieved much this year other than moving laterally in my company and trying to settle down into a role with a completely new job descriptions. So, I decided that I would spend some of my quiet time while these eyes are still capable to open wide and baby is fast asleep to develop my personal site. I know I have an always-updated Linkedin profile. But I thought I'll make something with my added personal touch. After all, I'm a person who loves creativity.

I was just about to register a new blog just with my full name. Keeping it simple because, duh, it's a personal site with my not-so-short resume all over it. To my surprise, Blogger said that the blog name had been taken. By who!? I'm the only person in this world with THAT name! Anyway, I went scouring through the list of blogs I had in the past. Still couldn't find the one with my full name, but I managed to find an old blog of mine with just a lot of random posts. From songs that I was listening to, to just some random stories or rants. It's called blog 365. 

Reading it again felt really good. I mean, I can't remember the last time I wrote stuff like a teenage girl writing in her diary. Those posts sounds so naive, honest, genuine. I like reading (and writing) posts that have personal touches to it, anything like rants, confessions, genuine convos are definitely my 'thing'. It's therapeutic. Haha, I guess I'm just nosy. But, yeah, I think I should continue write like a teenage girl - sometimes, not always though.

Disconnecting

Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash

There was a time where I had several social media accounts and I was overwhelmed by them. Which account should I update?! Because ideally I'd want to update everything at once. And that's also around the time when all of the social media platform finally introduced 'linked accounts' and there were also third party apps that will help you update your social media accounts all at once although you update from only one of them. Eventually, one by one my account had less and less activities either from me or my connections so I started to let them go. I'm just going to quickly share the reasons why I'm disconnecting and why you should consider (or do it) too.

HOW OTHERS WOULD FEEL ABOUT MY POSTS

One of the main reason why I started to disconnect because, other than stalking other people's activity, is that I'm not active much. Why? Because I think too much before posting. Why? Because I don't want to be seen as bragging and showing off. So, I always think of these before posting: Does my post will cause envy or jealousy? Is my post benefitting anybody?. If it can potentially cause envy or jealousy and it doesn't benefit other people's lives then I would pass (most of the time). I know I've been guilty of posting Omar's photos where he eats without fussing though (which I know can make other mothers so jealous😫). 

I BECOME LESS DEPRESSED

Haha. This is probably one of the biggest reason why people quits social media. Let's face it, it's very rare that people go on social media without comparing their lives with others and starting to get jealous, envious of other people's lives. I've lost count at how many times I've become so depressed and envious of other people just by scrolling through Instagram. It literally gave me headaches so the extent that I had to uninstall it to keep myself sane.

(I need to) Remember that most of the time, what you see on social media is only the good side of people's lives. That may not be even the 90% of them. And people rarely expose their flaws. Some people like Kara is an exception. She actually shows the hardships and normality of being a mom of three in Melbourne. But I wouldn't be able to be like her though as I'm just not

comfortable at 'vlogging', talking to a camera, it's just too much hassle for me, and it's just such a time waster for me.

MAKING TIME FOR OTHER THINGS THAT REALLY MATTERS

For me, this is my main deal breaker for staying active on my social media accounts. When I complained that I don't have enough time to do the things that actually matters to me, it really boils down to the time I spent in the social media world. I was constantly checking my phone. I think I would be spending 3-4 hours in a day on my social media accounts. Most of the time it's just me checking what other people are up to. I wasn't even uploading photos on Instagram nor posting statuses in Facebook. Anyway, that 3-4 hours doesn't actually have any effect on my life. So it's just time wasting away.

***

I'm not totally against social media as they are still one of the best platforms for me to engage with  my family and friends. But for my current needs and priorities, I do have to really disconnect rather than just limiting my self to only an hour a day.

I only have two social media accounts that are still active: Instagram and Facebook. Meaning, I still open them and post stuff once in a while. And in the case of Facebook, it means that I still scroll through the timeline and comment and likes my friend's posts once in a while but not posting myself because people that are on Facebook are so judgmental!

I'm currently logging off from my Instagram because I was just constantly on it, unlike Facebook which I have started to grow very weary of. Anyway, the result of me disconnecting is that I finally have time to write in my blog which I think it's more meaningful for me since I can write super long posts without having to stress about the screen size and being pity to my thumbs for doing such hard work for me to type stuff.

Halal Poultry!

Photo by Michał Grosicki on Unsplash

Saya ngerti banget susahnya jadi Muslim pendatang yang nggak tahu apa-apa, jadi kali ini mau sharing tentang daging halal di Australia. Sekalian, karena beberapa waktu yang lalu barusan nanya ke teman tentang daging ayam, bebek, dan ayam kalkun setelah mendapati Bebek Peking kesukaan saya dengan merek Luv-A-Duck tumben-tumbenan tidak ada sertifikasi halal di kemasannya. 

Produk-produk yang saya jabarkan di bawah adalah produk-produk yang bisa ditemukan di supermarket. Jadi, kalau nggak sempat ke tukang daging (butcher) untuk beli daging ayam dan kalau khusus pingin ayam kalkun atau bebek bisa langsung aja cuss ke Woolworths, Coles, IGA, dan supermarket lainnya. So, here we go...

LUV-A-DUCK

Ini merek bebek favorit saya untuk bebek Peking. Yum! Seingat saya dulu di kemasan bebek Peking yang selalu saya beli ada sertifikasi halalnya. Tapi terakhir mau beli kok tidak ada. Agak sedikit merasa janggal sih karena setahu saya semua produk Luv-A-Duck itu halal. Jadilah saya bertanya-tanya pada kawan-kawan dan menemukan infonya juga di websitenya. 

 

Daftar produk lengkapnya bisa dilihat disini. Berikut beberapa contoh produk Luv-A-Duck. Dan favorit saya adalah Peking Duck with Pancake kit! Karena disini nggak ada Chinese restaurant yang halal jadi satu-satunya harapan saya untuk bisa makan Peking duck adalah dengan membeli produk Luv-A-Duck. Luv luv luv!

***

STEGGLES

Ini satu-satunya produsen yang juga menjual ayam kalkun selain ayam. Produk halalnya juga cukup lengkap, dari ayam dan kalkun utuh (whole chicken and whole turkey) sampai produk dengen nilai tambah misalnya ayam yang sudah dibumbui, ditepung, atau diproses lebih lanjut menjadi nuggets. Untuk daftar lengkapnya bisa dilihat disini.

***

LILYDALE

Terakhir, yaitu merek Lilydale. Dulu pernah lihat di Instastory-nya Kara (hijabers di Melbourne) pas dia vlog tentang grocery shopping-nya dia dari Coles Online. Dulu memang pernah dengar kalau Lilydale halal tapi nggak yakin 100% karena kalau nggak salah waktu itu pernah baca kalau tidak semua supplier Lilydale menyembelih dengan cara halal. Entahlah betul atau mata saya aja yang siwer bacanya, hahaha. 

Anyway, akhirnya cek langsung ke website Lilydale dan ada di FAQ-nya kalau ayam-ayamnya memang halal. Uhuy! Jadi, bisa lah nih beli ayam kalau tempat langganan saya (Red Lea) udah keburu tutup karena jam bukanya hanya sampai jam 5 sedangkan saya hanya sempat belanja setelah jam 6 sore atau akhir pekan aja.

***

Semoga informasinya membantu ya!

Classic Waffles

Oh, apologies everyone. This must be one of my worst photos ever. It was taken with my phone and my phone hasn't got the best quality because I suppressed the size for it to hold more photos of my son. Yes, that's a mommy's life. Anyway, next time I will try to take photos with a proper camera. One reason to get my Lumix GX7 out of the dusty cupboard.

After a hectic week of work, usually on the weekends I would like to spend a quiet morning with a fancy breakfast. What's my definition of fancy breakfast? Waffles and crepes. Basically anything that people usually get in the cafe.

I'm no fan of eating out something that you can easily whip up at home for the fraction of the price and waffle is no exception. You just need to get yourself a waffle iron and I'm sure you'll be able to get your 'return on investment' within a year (if you use your waffle iron often). My waffle iron is from Cuisinart. I bought it second hand on Gumtree.

These are really easy to make and they are very yummy. I can't believe it took me a long time to get my waffle iron out and actually make them! When I say a long time, it was maybe 6 months to a year after I actually bought my waffle iron. Since then I often made them and freeze leftover to be enjoyed during weekdays.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups warm milk
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

HOW TO MAKE

1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.
3. Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.

Original recipe taken from here.

My Bad Sleeper

Can't believe my little Omar is almost 6 months old. I am so proud that my "bad sleeper" can now sleep by himself with little help. Well, sometimes he still nurse to sleep though but the other day I was ignoring him (busy with my phone - don't follow me🙈), our backs were facing each other, he didn't cry and made little-to-no noise. When my sister came into the room, she said that Omar was already asleep.

I can remember clearly how he used to be a really bad sleeper. Every time I drop by at the office and everyone would ask how he was sleeping, I always said, "He's a really bad sleeper😔." How can he not be a bad sleeper if he only wants to sleep in a certain position which sometimes worked and sometimes doesn't? Not sure if it was colic, but I just put up with him and stopped guessing the cause. We had to put him sideways, sometimes he slept on his tummy (don't preach SIDS to me please), and most of the times he can only sleep while cuddled. At times I wanted to cry because of the exhaustion of not getting proper sleep because I wasn't comfortable with my sleep position (if I had to cuddle him).

Nowadays mothers get judged about the way they do things. I wanted to do the right thing, but then I learned there's no right or wrong, just find the one that works for you. I did a google search if sleep training is the "new normal", but the answers were mixed. A couple of times I did let him cry his head off to exhaustion hoping he would eventually sleep by himself. Well, it never happened. He cried for a good 15 minutes, sometimes even more. I can stand listening to him cry for more than 15 minutes, but I was afraid it may affect his brain.

Eventually, I realised that Omar won't be small for a long time. He won't ask to be cuddled while sleeping all the time. So I should just live in the moment and try to enjoy while it lasted. And I think I had made the right choice. Now he's slowly coming off of me and able to sleep by himself.

12 Hours of Labour

Hello world! After over 6 months of blogging hiatus, I'm finally publishing again. It will be on and off since juggling housework and the little one is very overwhelming.

So, after waiting for 9 months, more or less, finally my "little king" arrived in this world. We used to call him "little king" because he always gets away with what he wants. If he wants milk now, I have to give it to him NOW. Otherwise, he will persist crying and crying until I give him what he wants. He was born at Westmead hospital, at 8.49 am. He weighed a healthy 4.2 kgs and was 53 cm long. We named our little boy Omar.

BABY ARRIVED LATE

My last blog post on my pregnancy update was for the 40th week. You may think that I should have delivered the baby not long after that because there's no further update. But in reality my pregnancy was overdue for 10 days. My mum was already in Sydney at that time so I was busy keeping her occupied (she gets bored easily) hence the lack of blog update. I was also busy getting the labour going naturally so I did a lot of long walks, etc.

So, as mentioned, my pregnancy went overdue by 10 days. Four days before the induction I was still having the regular midwife check up and the midwife said, "You should have delivered the baby by now. What's happening?". Well, how about you tell me what's going on. She did a sweep of the cervix and said that I was already 4 cm dilated and she was even confident that I will be delivering the baby on the weekend. I thought, "Yay! Baby is going to have the same birthdate as me!". She also referred me to visit the Day Assessment Centre the next day to see if my water is still adequate and baby is doing fine. After the full assessment at the Day Assessment Centre, the midwife gave me a date for the induction.

August 19th passed. August 20th passed. August 21st passed. I was disappointed that baby wouldn't be sharing the same birth date with me. Then August 22nd came - the day of my induction. I called in at 11.30am (I was told to call in first as they are usually busy in the morning). I was told to call again at 2pm because they're still busy. Then at 2pm I called in again and they are, again, still busy. I was told to call in again at 4pm. At 4pm I called in and finally they told me to come in at 6pm.

THE 12 HOURS OF LABOUR

We arrived at the hospital at 6pm and waited in one of the room in the Birth Unit. Finally at 8pm two midwives came and setup the CTG scan to check on the contraction. They commented on my perfectly round belly and the very ugly stretch mark. They said it looked like the "tree of life". I call it horrible. After checking the CTG result, one of them said, "You're already having contraction." Really? Because I didn't feel any pain at all. But apparently that tingly feeling in my stomach is contraction. 

She asked if I had the slightest idea what we were going to do. I said no, hehehe. Then she explained how we're going to start the process - because what happens afterwards can be varying from case to case. Since the sack was still intact, the midwife started the process by rupturing the sack using a flexible plastic needle that looked like a crochet hook. The water started coming out like as if I just dumped a bucket of water. Oh, so that's how water-break feels like. The midwife then said, "Your water is green. The baby must have pooped inside. He might be stressed inside hence the pooping." Oh great, I drank all of that coconut water for nothing. I heard that coconut water was good to keep the water clear so when the baby was delivered he will look clean. I diligently drank litres and litres of coconut water hoping for the water to be clear, unfortunately baby pooped inside, making the water green. 

The contraction started to build up after the water broke. I finally felt that horrible contraction pain, but it was not that bad yet, until they introduced 'the drip'. They gave me 'the drip' 1-2 hours after they broke my water and I had not dilated further. After 'the drip', everything just went climbing up the hill - or mountain to be more precise. The pain became even worse and it was very unbearable. The midwife told me not to push, but I just can't resist the urge to push. Plus, it made me the pain more bearable if I pushed. After struggling for an hour or two, the midwife offered to use pain reliever. Before going into labour, I was dead set on not using any pain reliever, but since the midwife asked, I thought it must be that bad that she eventually suggested it. So then I said yes to gas. It did help me - at first. Gas should be inhaled when the contraction started to build up and released when contraction slowed down. Hours and hours later the nurse said the gas wasn't effective anymore as I was inhaling the gas even when the contraction was slowing down.

After the gas wasn't effective anymore, the midwife suggested using epidural because I was already tired but still haven't reached the point to push. I was told by everyone that I know to never get epidural, but I must be not dilating further hence the midwife suggested it. I thought, they must know what's the best if they suggested it. So I reluctantly said 'yes' for an epidural - trying to increase my chance to deliver normally. The nurse who was on the night shift told me, "We're trying our best to have you deliver normally. I've told the doctor that you should be able to do so." Not long after I was administered the epidural, I fell asleep until morning.

WHEN MORNING CAME
I was surprised that I just woke up from a good sleep (how did that even happen!?). I felt much better. I was still inhaling the gas somehow and still could feel the effect, but then the nurse said, "Oh, that doesn't work anymore. We've cut off the gas access." Haha.  Then I started feeling contraction building up again. I thought after you've been administered epidural, you will deliver the baby while your hips area was still numb. Well, apparently it's not. I told the nurse, "Why am I feeling a contraction building up?".
     "That means you're ready to push"
What!? I didn't know that epidural effect can disappear before delivering the baby. I felt a couple more contractions, then joked with the nurse (and partially hoping), "Can I get another dose of epidural?"
     "No. Okay, start pushing when you feel the contraction builds up."
I started to feel the contractions again, then familiarising myself with the rhythm again. I was pushing, pushing, and pushing. I couldn't feel anything coming out, but the doctor and nurses always said that I did a good job and they can see the hair already. I was so confused which one is right. The doctor checked the baby a couple of times and told me that he's in undesirable position for delivery. He was facing to the sides. The doctor tried to turn the baby a couple of times to the correct position, but he apparently insisted on staying sideways. Finally, the doctor said, the only way to get the baby out is using vacuum. The doctor explained the procedure and risks, but I was already not paying attention and all I wanted is to get this baby out! So I just said yes.

They prepared the equipment and instructed me to push when they say 'push'. By this time I gave all my might to push. I can see the doctor and nurses pulling the baby as hard as they could as well. Wow, is getting a baby out of the womb 'that' hard? I pushed one more time and finally the baby came out. I felt a huge relief.

MEETING HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME
The baby was checked and cleaned before they gave him to me for skin to skin contact. I think remember my husband saying that he didn't have the chance to cut the umbilical cord, the nurses did LOL. They also asked if I would let them give baby's first immunisation, and I confirmed I was ok with it. They just gently put the baby on my chest and I could clearly see that big lump of flesh with soft skin in front of my eyes. I was staring straight to his eyes. I just couldn't believe it - now I'm a MUM. My husband then recited the adzan in the baby's right ear. I remember stroking his skin, observing very closely of what people commonly call newborns as alien-looking. It felt very surreal, my motherhood journey had just begun.